Easing your passage from and to India
Upworldly Mobile – launched at Taj Coromandel Chennai
The world at your feet!
Chennai, Oct. 20, Taj Coromandel:
The launch of Ranjini Manian’s latest book, Upworldly Mobile, in Chennai on October 20, was a grand success by every measure!
Attended by several global citizens – from Consul Generals to CEOs and top managements of trans-national companies, from celebrities to artists, it was indeed an evening of intellectual stimulation!
The conversation between Ms Jennifer McIntyre, Consul General, US Consulate – Chennai, Dr. Sumatran, Executive Vice Chairman, Hinduja Automotive and Chairman of Nissan, Ashok Leyland Powertrain and Ranjini Manian, stressed on the importance of Cultural Intelligence and tools we have to understand people from different cultures.
Both shared small humorous anecdotes from their experience interacting with foreign cultures – e.g. when Dr. Sumantran’s dinner guests arrived even before the scheduled time in Sweden and were waiting outside the door, hesitating to use the bell.
The audience proved to be equally enthusiastic about the topic and several participants asked questions when the floor was opened to them! The evening came to a close with cocktails and conversations!
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I started reading your book last night and just finished it over lunch. It is really useful for someone like me and for the Indian guys I work with. I am getting them all to read it now! So many little things that now make sense – even down to the fact that no-one wants to call me by my name and now I understand why. Also the way I visit these tiny suppliers in Ambattur and am trying to negotiate the uneven roads and hazardous machines with a phone and camera in hand (which is difficult enough) and they insist on giving me a coffee in a polystyrene cup that spills over and burns my hand. I clearly say no because I know I just cant manage it as well as everything else but it always comes anyway just the same. Who would ever try to drink a hot coffee from one of those street vendors when you are walking and there’s swarf all over the floor to trip up on! I thought they were deliberately trying to make things difficult for me but now I realize they just aren’t used to taking no as an answer and they are really trying to be hospitable. It is funny really, these cultural differences they certainly make life interesting!
I think its a fantastic achievement to be able to write and publish a book like that, very impressive and it has definitely inspired me. Thank you for writing it!
Kind Regards,
Helene